


Staffing Problems

by Kat_d86



Series: Lucifer's Orbit [1]
Category: Lucifer (TV)
Genre: Favour, Gen, Lux - Freeform, Shy, Working for Lucifer
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-18
Updated: 2019-04-18
Packaged: 2020-01-16 01:52:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,674
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18511513
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kat_d86/pseuds/Kat_d86
Summary: How does the Devil affect the world around him and those that live in it? Mini series showcasing normal people who seek out the Devil. Kirsty needed a favour but when she walked into Lux she found something else instead.





	Staffing Problems

**Author's Note:**

> I thought it would be interesting to shine a light on the world surrounding Lucifer and how he affected those around him without focusing too much on the Devil himself. None of these have a set time frame (unless directly specified) and are intended to slot in at any point from the beginning of Season 1 to the end of Season 3. I’ll leave it up to you guys where you feel they fit best. Enjoy.

Kirsty Andral needed a favour and everyone said Lux was the place to come. There hadn’t been anyone on the door but she’d found it open so she’d just come in. She walked down the steps and found the place completely empty. She sucked on her split lip, uncertain. The scant information she had said she needed to talk to the owner, Lucifer Morningstar. She’d intended to just sit and wait but after five minutes she got nervous and started wandering around. She ended up behind the bar where she found a dirty counter top with a stack of used glasses that had been left from the night before. With nothing else to occupy her she looked through the cupboards until she found the cleaning spray and started to wipe down the counter. Once it was clean she looked down the extensive bar. 

At least it would pass the time she thought and began pulling things out so she could clean behind them. Forty minutes later the first staff member arrived and looked surprised that anyone else was here. Kirsty was on her hands and knees as she wiped out the back of a refrigerator. Her long hair was twisted up with a cocktail stirrer as an impromptu hair stick and she’d rolled up the sleeves of her black shirt. At the barman’s quizzical expression she said the first thing that came to her mind.

“It didn’t get done last night” The barman gave a silent ‘oh’ of understanding before shrugging and turning away without asking any questions. He busied himself setting up the end of the bar she had already cleaned and she turned back to the task at hand. No point leaving a job half-finished she thought.

Six hours later and she still wasn’t quite sure how she’d ending up bussing the entire club. A few early customers had come in before she’d finished cleaning the bar and once she’d finally done the barman had handed her a tray of empty glasses like he expected her to know what to do with them. By the time she’d found the glass wash and come back there were more empties to collect so she’d just got on with it. Now she roved the club with a tray and picked up any empty glasses she found before they could be knocked over. It was hot with so many people and she’d had to tie up her shirt to try and stay cool. She guessed the exposed mid-rift made her blend in more with the beautiful waitresses in their skin-tight dresses. As she was only gathering empty glasses most of them ignored her except to point to a booth or table that needed clearing. The bar staff likewise only paid attention to her if she was slow bringing back the stacks of clean glasses. 

As one of the larger groups got up to leave she immediately moved on to tidy up after them. They had been there for several hours and she’d had to clear their table multiple times. As the last of them brushed passed her they shook her hand with a drunken ‘G’night” before moving off. She looked down in surprise at the hundred dollar bill they had slipped her. She was too shocked to do anything other than pocket the money and keep working as she once again tried to get her head around how this had happened. Not that she was going to dwell on it too much if it meant she didn’t have to go home right away. 

Around midnight the shift changed over but she just kept on working. She had no idea what time it was when things finally calmed down and she was able to take a breath but by then she had almost three hundred dollars in her pockets. She leant on the end of the bar and tried to take the weight of her aching feet as the barman put away the last load of glasses she’d brought him. 

“Thanks” he said as he handed her back the empty tray. “You in tomorrow?” he asked. Kirsty looked around the now empty club with tired eyes. He hadn’t been here and she’d never got a chance to ask when he was next expected. 

“Probably” she replied as she took the tray.

“Ok, see you then” he then turned back to cleaning the bar and she went to put the tray away.

By the end of the week all the staff knew her and were grateful for her help. They all assumed she’d been hired to take the pressure off on busy nights and she was too scared of getting into trouble to correct them. After a month the closest she’d come to discovery was a confrontation with the waitresses over tips. It seemed that even though Mr Morningstar paid them relatively well some of them had expensive hobbies. She’d immediately agreed to split her tips and they’d all been really happy. Even though it was all she earned it was still enough to cover her expenses and take the pressure off her at home. If Lucifer had ever been there whilst she was working she’d been too busy to notice. She knew it couldn’t last and after another month when two of the waitresses, Becca and Sara, asked to talk to her alone her heart sank.

“Kirsty, we don’t want to hurt your feelings but...” Becca started

“Yes?” she asked sadly, knowing this was the end.

“But your clothes are terrible” Sara finished and she looked as them both in shock.

“What?” she looked down at what she wore. It was the same black trousers and shirt from her first accidental shift. They were getting a little worn out and she guessed she’d lost weight with all the running around but she didn’t think they were too bad.

“Yes, they just make you blend into the background. We feel really sorry for you and, well...” Sara paused.

“We want to take you shopping! As a thank you for being so generous over the tips and for doing such a good job. It’s made life so much easier for us” Becca finished and Kirsty found herself blinking in surprise. 

“Um, I guess. Yes? Thank you” she stammered and the two women both grinned.

“Ok, great. Let’s go” One of them grabbed her hand and they started to move her towards the door.

“What? Now?” 

“Sure, why not?” It won’t be busy for a couple of hours, the boys can handle it till we get back” Becca nodded toward the bar where Patrick and the others were still setting up.

“OK” Kirsty still wasn’t sure. If she missed a shift they might check the rota to see if she was supposed to be working and discover that she wasn’t on the books at all. However, as she looked over Patrick smiled and nodded towards her and the two women trying to pull her away. She gave up and let them drag her towards the stairs. 

The next few hours were a blur of clothing stores and changing rooms. Becca and Sara gleefully handed her more and more outfits to try on and giggled every time she blushed at the amount of skin they expected her to show.

“You work at Lux darling, you should be used to it by now” one of them pointed out as she tugged at the hem of a very mini mini skirt.

“But I just clear up. I don’t have to be beautiful like you” She said and the two of them gave a synchronised ‘Awwww’ and hugged her.

“You are beautiful sweetie and the sooner you realise that the better you’ll feel” Becca said and she turned beetroot red at her words and they giggles again.

“Come on, let’s get you matching shoes” and they were off again. She ended up winning the ‘battle of the heels’, as they came to call it, and came away with a pair of sparkly flats. There was no way she could keep up with everything if she’d gone with the, to her, super high strappy pair of heels they’d been pushing her towards. Becca and Sara had paid for everything for which she was very grateful as her reduced tips didn’t leave much for her to spend on herself after she’d handed the rest over when she got home. It made her realised that the staff cared about her, that they all saw her as kind of kid sister, and she had a lot more confidence for the next few weeks. Not because of the new clothes but because she knew they appreciated her and would take time out of their day to make sure she was happy. It made her smile occasionally as she collected the glasses.

“Hello, you’re new aren’t you?” the sultry voice sent her heart beating faster and she turned around in surprise. She was met with a pair of soft brown eyes that seemed to draw her in and a face she recognised from fleeting glances across the room during busy shifts. Lucifer Morningstar in one of his perfect suits with pristine hair and a half-filled glass held casually in one hand. 

“I...I clean tables” she managed and then blushed at having given such a stupid response. He only smiled, amused by her nervousness.

“And a very good job you do too. But tell me, how is it I haven’t noticed such a pretty little thing like you before?” He leaned in towards her and her breathing quickened in excitement. She could smell his cologne and felt an almost overwhelming desire to press herself up against him. Instead she clutched the empty tray to her chest and looked down, acutely embarrassed that he would waste his time with her.

“I got new clothes” She muttered 

“They definitely suit you” he purred and she felt herself turning even more pink. She frantically looked for a way out of the conversation. She saw it as a couple got up and left a set of empty glasses on their table. 

“Excuse me” She blurted and hurried away. Her heart was pounding in her ears and she tried to get control of her breathing. This was the man she’d come to see all those months ago to ask for a favour. But she wasn’t sure she needed one anymore. She’d accidentally got what she’d wanted and all she had to do to keep it was stay out of trouble. There was still the.... other matter. But if she brought any of that up to her new friends she knew they’d look deeper and then she’d lose the job she’d somehow made for herself. 

She wasn’t quite sure how she was still getting away with it but this was the best place she’d had in a very long time and she didn’t want to risk being discovered. If the owner of Lux started paying attention to her then he might realise that she didn’t really work for him and she’d have to leave. She didn’t want that so she kept her head down for the rest of the night and got on with her work. She would rather keep enduring everything than risk losing what she’d found here. The realisation hit her so hard and filled her with such elation that she forgot to change back into her old clothes before heading home. She only realised she still wore the tiny mini shirt and tight top the girls had bought her when she got to her front door. She panicked for a moment and wondered if she could sneak round the back to change before going in but then the dog started barking. She knew she had no choice but to enter and face the consequences.

The next night at Lux she wore her hair down to cover the side of her face. She didn’t want to seem ungrateful so she wore one of the other sparkly tops the girls had got her but she couldn’t bring herself to put the mini skirt back on, not after what had happened at home, so she wore her old black trousers. She tried to keep moving with glass collections, table wiping and generally staying out of everyone’s way. It was another busy night so no-one really noticed that she was talking even less than normal. She’d just cleared up after a bachelor party and was finishing wiping the table when someone finally spoke to her.

“You are an industrious one, aren’t you” it was the same seductive voice as the night before and she spun in surprise to see Lucifer Morningstar, supposedly the Devil himself, once again inspecting her with an appreciative eye. She blushed and took an unconscious step back. She looked away quickly and as she did her hair shifted off her face. She hurriedly raised a hand to pull it back only for Lucifer to reach out and stop her. She flinched slightly as he touched her and he moved her hand away from her face. He held her wrist without hurting her but he was very strong and she instinctively knew not to fight it. She risked looking at him and saw his expression was set hard. She couldn’t look away from the contrast of such a beautiful face looking so angry as he carefully tucked her long hair behind her ear. She felt her face become hot with embarrassment at what he saw. She hadn’t had time for any makeup, she’d hoped the low lights and her hair would have been enough to hide it. 

“Who hit you?” he asked. His voice was cold as he let go of her wrist. She felt tears in her eyes and fear started to rise in the back of her throat. Not now, not over this. She couldn’t bear the thought of losing everything she’d managed to find. He moved closer and the rest of the club faded from her notice. It was as if he was the only thing that existed and she couldn’t help but look into his eyes.

“What happened?” he asked in a slightly less forceful tone.

“I... he didn’t like my clothes” she admitted

“Who?” It was like his voice was inside her head, urging her to tell the truth.

“Papa” she whispered and she saw him twitch. In that moment her awareness of the rest of the world came flooding back to her and she realised what she’d just said, what she had finally admitted to another living being. Tears rolled down her face and she bolted for the back door. 

Becca eventually found her, still crying, behind the dumpsters in the alley. 

“Kirsty, it’s OK sweetie, come back inside” The other woman knelt down next to her and tried to give her a hug but she only scrunched down even smaller and covered her head with her arms.

“I can’t. I don’t work here” She blurted between sobs.

“What are you talking about, honey, of course you do. If you’re not interested just tell him so, he won’t fire you just because you won’t sleep with him.” Becca explained patiently but Kirsty shook her head and lowered her arms. 

“But I don’t have a real job. I just turned up. I wanted a Favour but there was no one here so I started cleaning and everyone just assumed someone else had hired me and I was supposed to be here” She finally came clean and the other woman looked at her in confusion.

“Ok, why?” she asked and Kirsty sniffed.

“Because I get nervous sitting still and if I’m busy people normally ignore me” She said

“No darling, I mean why did you keep coming back?” Becca asked gently.

“Well...at first I still wanted a Favour but then everyone was so nice to me and it just felt so good to be busy and needed and wanted” She looked down sadly, “and I got money so I wasn’t a burden at home”

“Oh honey, you’re not a burden, at home or anywhere else” Becca said as she wrapped her arms around her and this time she let her. Eventually the other woman pulled away and brushed Kirstie’s hair out of her face. Her eyes lingered slightly on her bruised cheek but she didn’t say anything. She held out her hand to help her up. 

“Come back inside, Mr Morningstar wants to talk to you” When Kirsty flinched Becca shook her head quickly, “It’s alright, he’s not angry at you. Come on, before you catch cold” Kirsty reluctantly took her hand and let the other woman pull her up. They went back inside but rather than heading for the office as she expected Becca led her through the club and into the elevator. The further up they went the more numb she became as she realised this was the end of her little adventure. She couldn’t realistically ask for a favour when she had been gate crashing his club every night for the last few months under the pretext of having a job. All the independence she’d felt from being able to say she was going to work and the satisfaction she’d felt coming home with money in her pocket was over.

The door eventually opened and Becca had to steer her out into the Penthouse. She barely noticed the opulent surroundings as she saw the head barman, Patrick, speaking with Lucifer. She cringed slightly as they looked at her but Becca patted her arm before walking over to join them, leaving her alone. She hugged herself as the three of them talked quietly on the other side of the room with occasional glances in her direction. Eventually Patrick and Becca stepped aside and Lucifer approached her. Kirsty sniffed and tried to stand up a little straighter as she faced him. 

“So, an industrious one indeed from what my staff are telling me” He said

“Yes, sir” she answered with a forlorn expression. She hadn’t minded the work. It had been hard and long but it had been satisfying in its own, simple, way. It had also given her a legitimate reason to be out of the house that didn’t make Him too angry when she came home.

“And I’m informed you initially came looking for a Favour. I’m curious, what was it you desired?” he asked and leaned a little closer. The rest of the world faded out and she once again found herself captivated by his eyes.

“I wanted a job”

“Why?” he asked

“So I could move out, get my own place and be myself. Away from Him...my fa...” She struggled to say the last word. She just couldn’t bring herself to say his name. 

“Your father” Lucifer finished for her and she felt the rest of the world swim back into focus. 

“Why did he hit you?” he asked and she shrank slightly.

“I was my fault...” She started

“No, it wasn’t” he interrupted curtly, “But what excuse did he give?” She tried to remember what her father had said after she got home last night but she’d already pushed most of it so far down in her memory it was hard to recall.

“He just didn’t like the way I was dressed” She said quietly.

“And did you like the way you looked?” he asked and despite everything she blushed. 

“Sara and Becca got it for me. They said I looked cute. I... I liked it” She admitted and her blush deepened as Lucifer gave her an appreciative look. “Please don’t send me away” She whispered desperately.

“And why would I do that?” he asked in a neutral tone.

“Because I pretended to work here and I didn’t correct anyone and I’m sorry. I didn't mean to lie but it felt good to do something that was all me and have people appreciate me and not get angry that I existed and to need me” She said in a massive rush of emotion. “It was nice to be wanted” She took a deep breath but when Lucifer didn’t respond she looked down and tried not to cry. 

“Patrick” he said eventually and she looked up as the barman stepped over. “Take Miss Andral to the office and have her added to the staff rota. Make sure her pay is backdated to the day she actually started working for us”

“Yes, Boss” Patrick said and headed for the elevator.

“Becca, call housekeeping and have one of the guest apartments made available to her until she can find a place of her own”

“Yes, Mr Morningstar” The waitress replied with a gentle smile to Kirsty as she walked passed her and down the stairs. Kirsty wiped her eyes as she tried to fathom what had just happened. She gave up when she realised this meant she didn’t have to go home tonight.

“I don’t understand” She said.

“It’s simple, you wanted a Favour. I’m granting it” He waved his arm to indicate she should go with Patrick.

“But why?” she asked in a small voice. “I’m not important” He stepped forward and brushed her hair fully out of her face.

“Because no-one should be punished for trying to be themselves” he said earnestly and she felt like crying all over again, this time with a mix of relief and happiness. All she could manage was an eager nod of thanks before following Patrick into the elevator.

After the doors closed Lucifer poured himself a drink. It seemed humans would never cease to amaze him. Treat them horribly, beat them down and half of them would convince themselves that they somehow deserved it. He sighed as he drained his glass. He doubted the girls Favour would be worth anything to him in the end but he’d found himself unable to say no. Maybe he was getting sentimental in his old age. One thing was certain, as soon as Patrick had her details, Lucifer was going to have a very interesting chat with her so-called father.


End file.
